AdOPteD
by ANBUShizuka
Summary: They hadn't been expecting to find a little girl in the park. They hadn't been expecting to actually adopt her and raise her as their own, while simultaneously figuring out that children do cause a difference in a relationship. Ymir and Christa just wish that someone had warned them.


_A/N: Ok, so, I'm trying a new style of writing and I don't really like it just yet. Maybe I just haven't gotten used to it yet. But I'm experimenting to see if I can get better at writing. Anyway. I hope you enjoy this. It's based off a headcanon I read on the imagineyumikuri tumblr and I just could not get it out of my head. So, I ran with it. _

[X]

"Why the hell did you wanna go for a walk in the park today, of all days? It's cloudy, it's windy, it's starting to get cold..." Ymir goaded. She grinned down at her girlfriend and nudged her lightly, getting a squeak of protest. "C'mon, let's head back. It's fuckin' freezing."

"Oh, it is _not_. You're so melodramatic!" The blonde girl headbutted Ymir's chin, causing the taller girl to groan and clench her jaw in pain. "I felt like going for a walk. You have work tonight and I have school tomorrow. I thought we could enjoy a little time outside together."

Ymir rolled her eyes and quipped, "We have a balcony. We could enjoy some time outside there." Her arm tightened around Christa's shoulder as they made a turn on the walking path. The path itself wound through the tiny forest the park kept. During the spring and summer, couples and families could be found scattered throughout on benches and small picnic areas. Ymir frowned, noticing something beside one such bench. "What the fuck is that?"

As they drew closer, the blonde gasped, "It's a little kid! Oh my God, Ymir, what if they're lost?" Christa blinked back her surprise, staring at the figure huddled beside the park bench. She approached slowly, kneeling down to look into a pair of bored looking blue eyes. "Sweetheart, what's your name?" When no answer came, Christa held out a hand and smiled softly. "I'm Christa."

"Annie." A small hand slipped from the hoodie sleeve and grasped Christa's fingers firmly, giving them a small shake. Just as quickly as the hand appeared, it slipped back into the sleeve and was shoved in the hoodie pocket. From beneath the hood, pale blonde hair fell messily over one eye and a mistrustful sort of air surrounded the child.

"Ok, Annie. Uhm...where are your parents?" Christa glanced back at her girlfriend, Ymir, who stood on the walking path with a frown. Shrugging slightly, the seventeen-year-old turned her attention back to the girl. "Do you know where they are?"

"I don't have a mother," the child announced. Her steady gaze fell when she added, "And father hasn't come back."

Eyes widening, Christa questioned, "How long has it been since you saw him?"

Annie calmly held up two fingers and began to uncurl from her fetal position against the side of the bench. "Two days. Father told me to hide." Her jeans were ill-fitting on her tiny frame and the grey hoodie she wore was far too big. "He said that all the people were my en'my."

Ymir's frown deepened and she muttered, "Hey, kid, what else did your dad tell you? Are there monsters?"

"Humans. Humans are monsters," Annie mumbled. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the imposing figure.

"Christa, maybe her dad is schizophrenic. That would explain why he says there are monsters and that everyone is the kid's enemy..." Ymir ran a hand through her dark brown hair, brushing a few strands back into place. It was windy and summer was quickly receeding into fall. The taller female said, "We should probably take her to the police station. See if they'll contact child services or someth-"

"No! I don't wanna go there again," snapped the little girl. She looked at Christa and slowly shook her head.

Looking back at her girlfriend, Christa suggested, "Why don't we take her?"

"Wait, what? Are you nuts? We can't take care of a kid!" Brown eyes grew wide with disbelief. "I just graduated high school! And I have a night job. I sleep most of the day until it's time to go to work."

"You do _not_ sleep most of the day, Ymir. When I come home from school, you're usually playing video games or watching movies," scolded shorter teen. Turning her attention back to Annie, Christa held out her hand again. "How about it? You can come stay with us. And we'll come here every day to see if your dad is here. So you can go home. Ok?"

There was a tense silence that began to permeate the air as the teens waited for the toddler's answer. Annie reached out and placed her hand in Christa's; she softly said, "Ok."

As the trio entered the little apartment, Christa kicked off her boots and set the toddler down in the small entry. "Ok, Annie. It's not much but this is home." She hung her jacket on one of the hooks and smiled, taking the little girl's hand in her own. "C'mon. Let's go get something to snack on."

Annie smiled and nodded, following obediently alongside the older girl. Ymir, on the other hand, kicked off her sneakers and went promptly to the couch. As she plopped down, she glanced in and saw the two blondes looking into the fridge. "Hey, babe?"

"Yeah?" Christa looked up, still smiling.

"What are we gonna do about sleeping arrangements?" The seriousness of the matter had struck Ymir and she saw it dawn on her diminuitive girlfriend. "We only have one bedroom right now."

"I can sleep on the couch." Annie looked up at her new guardian. "I don't mind."

"Oh, Annie, I couldn't possibly think of letting you. You can take the bed at night. I'll sleep on the couch," the seventeen-year-old offered. She hesitantly reached forward and brushed a hand through the soft strands of hair that covered half of Annie's face. "And when Ymir comes home from work in the morning, you and I will hang out in here until I have to go to school. Will you be all right until Ymir wakes up?" The four-year-old nodded. Christa grinned and chimed, "Great. What kinds of things do you like to do?"

"I like to draw." The boredom that had once dominated her expression was beginning to slip and a hint of interest had replaced it. "And-" She looked over her shoulder suspiciously at Ymir before cupping her hands around Christa's ear and whispering, "I like reading stories about knights and big adventures too." She paused and whispered even lower, "And princesses."

"I do too," Christa agreed, "those are the best, huh?" Annie nodded. Screams and the sounds of swords clashing suddenly erupted in the air and the two blondes snapped their attention to the TV. "Ymir, are you serious? You're watching _300_ right now?"

"What? Kid's gotta learn about war and death sometime, right?"

"My name is Annie."

Brown eyes met two pairs of blue and Ymir groaned, clicking the remote and changing the channel. "Fine." She glanced at her cell phone and swore to herself. "I gotta go start getting ready for work."

When Ymir had left the room, her girlfriend looked down at her new charge and muttered, "Sorry about that. Ymir is actually very sweet. She just...takes a little getting used to." Annie nodded in understanding and held up the orange she had chosen. Christa smiled warmly and nodded back. "Right. Snack time."

Tying on her boots, the brunette looked over her shoulder when a light touch ghosted her back. Christa smiled softly at her and knelt, giving her freckled cheek a kiss. "Have a good night at work, ok?"

"Yeah, I'll try. Can't promise anything. I'm managing the floor tonight because Levi is off again." She paused, feeling something push between her side and Christa. Annie sat, arms around Christa's legs, glaring at the brunette. "Oh, for the love of- fine. I'm going. Later, kid." Standing up to full height, Ymir bent and kissed her girlfriend softly on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, all right?"

"All right, love," giggled the seventeen-year-old. While Christa made dinner, the younger blonde sat and sketched on the pieces of notebook paper that her guardian had left for her. Setting down a plate of macaroni and cheese, the teenager smiled at the landscape that the girl had drawn. "That's really good, Annie. You should take art classes when you get in school."

"When will I go to school?"

"Probably next year, when you're five. Maybe six. It depends on when you're ready," Christa replied. Annie and Christa settled onto the couch with one of the older blonde's old story books. Christa was leaning into the corner between the back of the couch and the arm, legs crossed with Annie sitting in her lap. The book was laying across the little girl's thighs. "Do you have a favorite story?"

"No. I haven't found one that I like hearing over and over," stated Annie. She glanced back up at her guardian and asked, "Do you have one?"

"I do, actually," giggled the seventeen-year-old. She gently grabbed the book and shut it, setting it aside on the coffee table. With that, she slid her arms around the tiny blonde's waist and hunched over, saying, "It's a story that Ymir told me. She came up with it herself." Christa paused and grinned. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who lived in a far off land, surrounded by a towering forest. Her father forbid her from ever leaving the castle because he believed that there were monsters in the woods." Her grin fell into a soft smile as she continued, "And the princess simply obeyed, never thinking for a second that her father was wrong. Then, one day, a strange girl came to the castle. She said that she was from the forest and had come to their village, seeking a truce with the king. He said he would consider the offer and bade her to stay in the castle for three days while he came to a decision."

"Bade?"

"Commanded or ordered," Christa clarified. "On her first day, the girl met the princess. The princess thought that the girl was strange and came up with all sorts of games and small sports to play so that they could pass the time. The princess found herself trying even harder to do better when faced off against the girl. They played off of each other and found themselves at a tie when it came down to the end of the day. As she went to bed, the princess found herself respecting the strange girl. The next day, they sat and talked. The strange girl was not one for words but found herself conversing with the princess just as easily as breathing air. At the end of the second day, the princess found herself liking the strange girl. On the third day, the king called the strange girl back and told her that he refused her terms. He called her a monster and ordered his men to capture her."

Annie's eyes widened in shock. "What happened? Does the princess know?"

Christa smiled again. "The girl fled the castle but not without going to see her friend one more time. The princess cried and begged to know what was happening but the strange girl just smiled and told her to wait. She would be back. Days and days passed but there was no sign of the girl. The princess spent her days sitting at the window, waiting for her friend. Then, one day, there was a terrible roar that made the very walls tremble from the force. A great monster had stormed the castle and was tall enough that it stood at eye level with the princess in her tower. As she stood, looking at the monster, she saw it smile and raise a hand. But as she looked in its eyes, she realized it was no monster at all. It was her friend. And she had come back. Overjoyed, the princess ran to her friend and leaped out the window to land in her friend's open palm."

"The strange girl really was a monster?"

"Just wait," giggled Christa. She hummed softly before adding, "They ran off to the forest. As they ran, the princess looked and saw that her friend was happy amongst the trees. Eventually, they stopped and her friend shrank back down to the way she looked when they had first met. The girl hugged the princess and took her by the hand, leading her into a tiny village. The girl said it was her home and showed the princess around. Everything and everyone looked as if they were from any other place in the kingdom. The girl explained that they only changed to protect themselves and find food. But the king had seen them and declared them monsters, banishing them from the kingdom and sending them into the forest. The princess was horrified at her father's actions and asked if she could stay in the village with the girl. For several weeks, they stayed in the village and it was peaceful. Day by day, the princess and the girl found that they worked well together and spent many hours talking and laughing. After a time, the princess came to realize that she loved the girl. On the day she decided to finally tell her friend, a loud noise filled the forest. Her father's men had come looking for her."

"But the princess! She was gonna tell her friend how she really felt!" Annie exclaimed. The two blondes had shifted and Annie sat on Christa's stomach as the older girl reclined on the couch.

"The strange girl got ready to turn but the princess stepped forward and confronted her father. He stood at the head of his men and demanded that the princess come back. The princess looked at him and asked if he remembered the promise that he had made her. He nodded and watched as the princess walked up to the girl and kissed her. Turning back to her father, the princess said, 'I'm home.' Dejected, the king tried to plead with his daughter but she refused. Her home was with the strange girl. And where the girl went, the princess went. And they lived happily ever after." Christa smiled up at the four-year-old and asked, "Well?"

Annie shuffled and rested her head on the older girl's chest, giving a quiet yawn. "I really like that one." Her eyelids began fluttering, trying to close and find rest. "I don't wanna go to sleep yet."

"But you're tired," Christa whispered softly as she sat up with the girl in her arms. As she stood and made the short trip to the bedroom, she received only one soft protest before Annie fell asleep and curled up in the center of the bed.


End file.
